Elmer and the Bear was written (copyrighted) in 1949 by my husband's grandfather, Johnny Lange and his co-writer, Hy Heath. Johnny was a prolific writer; his music appeared in over 70 films and his song, Mule Train, was a megahit for Frankie Laine and the subject of a film created by Walt Disney.

There is a fun (and fairly accurate) amateur version of Elmer and the Bear on YouTube, though the song is credited to Phil Harris, not Johnny Lange and Hy Heath. I'm sure that the person who posted it on YouTube associates the song with Phil Harris and does not know who wrote it. Johnny had a longstanding professional relationship with Phil Harris and it's likely that Harris recorded the song. I am looking in the archives to see if there is an old cassette available. I am in the process of putting much more information on my website (www.bulls-eyemusic.com) and will post the lyrics to all songs as I can get to it. It's great to know people are still talking about this old song!